Imaging systems based on light waves are becoming more widely used for object detection as semiconductor processes have become faster to support such systems. Some imaging systems are capable of providing dozens of images per second, making such systems useful for object detection and/or tracking as well. Due to their potentially small form factor and potentially high signal fidelity, some imaging systems are well suited for application in many types of vehicles (cars, busses, trains, etc.). Additionally, some imaging systems are well suited for gesture control, or the like, in many types of consumer devices (e.g., television, computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.). While the resolution of such imaging systems may vary, applications using these systems are able to take advantage of the speed of their operation.
A moving vehicle such as an automobile, for example, may use an imaging system to detect an object (a pedestrian, for example) in the path of the vehicle, to avoid hitting the object. For example, an imaging system may be employed on the front, rear, and/or the side(s) of the vehicle to detect objects in the forward or reverse paths of the vehicle, to the side of the vehicle, or in the blind spots of the vehicle.
Time-of-flight cameras, for example, may use imaging devices to measure the distance of an object from the camera. Imaging devices using multiple pixels may also be used, where light signals associated with individual pixels may provide distance measurements for discrete points on the object, forming a three-dimensional “distance image.” This can be made possible with light signals reflected off of the discrete points, for example.
Whether deployed in a vehicle application, a consumer device application, or other type of application, it is desirable to increase the efficiency of imaging systems while maintaining or improving the performance. For example, the usefulness of an imaging system as applied to a vehicle, mobile device, or the like, is diminished when the accuracy or clarity of the system is low, but the power demand is great.